ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has expressed confidence that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has the political depth and structure to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Dalung spoke on Sunday during Sunday Politics, a current affairs programme aired on Channels Television, where he said defeating Tinubu would require a collective, party-driven effort rather than an individual ambition.
According to him, the strength of the ADC lies in the calibre of politicians that have aligned with the opposition platform.
“So I think we have so many people to challenge Tinubu,” Dalung said.
“I can determine to contest the election, and I will challenge him.”
The former minister, who served under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, noted that the ADC was adopted last year by a coalition of opposition leaders seeking a viable alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party’s membership includes several prominent political figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-Rivers State governor and former minister Rotimi Amaechi, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, ex-APC national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, and former Senate President David Mark, among others.
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Despite this, critics have argued that the ADC could implode after its presidential primaries due to the concentration of heavyweight political interests within the party.
The APC, which currently controls 30 state governments and enjoys an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly, has also dismissed claims that the ADC poses a serious threat ahead of the 2027 polls.
Dalung, however, insisted that unity remains the guiding principle within the opposition coalition, regardless of who eventually emerges as the party’s flag bearer.
“We are going to conduct a transparent primary, and we have also resolved that whoever wins a transparent primary will be the person all of us support to challenge Tinubu,” he said.
“So, challenging Tinubu is not an individual issue. It’s not the issue of the candidate; it’s the issue of the party.”
President Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, won the 2023 presidential election, defeating Atiku, Obi and other contenders.
With about one year to the 2027 elections, the APC’s ranks have continued to swell, with governors, federal and state lawmakers defecting to the ruling party.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered internal crises and defections, developments that pushed several opposition leaders into the ADC, a party many observers now describe as the most organised resistance to the APC.